Hey guys, I was gonna give replacing my fuel filter a shot and see if my car will run descent long enough to get it fixed or replaced. Do I need to worry about fuel seriously spraying everywere? Isn't my fuel line under like 20 psi of pressure or something?

Thanks!
Douglas

 

I would think you could just unplug the relay and start your car, let it run till it dies and the pressure should be gone. I don't know for sure, cause mine is carbed. But when I pulled the V6 out and unhooked them lines there was no pressure. You could try loosening it up a bit and see if fuel squirts out. And have a container to catch what you can.

Brad...

 

Doug, pull the fuse in your fuse block labeled "fuel pump". Start the car and let it run out of gas. Now you can change the filter without much fuel spilling out.

 

Just unbolt and replace the filter, the (small)presure is no point!

 

Umm...no. I changed the filter on my '85 Z28 without relieving the preasure first and ended up with gas spraying everywhere! It isn't much more difficult to do it the correct way.

 

I agree with john! When I put my inline fuel pump in, it stunk up the whole house! And there was not a lot of fuel that spilled out from the lines i cut. Pull the fuse and let her run out of gas!

 

Woohoo! Someone actually agrees with me! Thanks Craig!

 

Pull the fuse, just like what was said before, I changed the filter on Michaels 300ZX without doing that, and when I uncorked it, he got BLASTED in the chest with gas, funny if you think about it, but, not funny if he got it in his eyes.. lol.


But Doug, why do you care how it runs?

-Roshambo

------------------
-Joe
1988 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 - 305 TPI, 700R4, 3.23 Posi, Digital Dash, Leather Seats, Maui Blue with Silver GFX, T-tops, Tinted Glass, Gutted MAF, TB Coolant Bypass, K&N Cone Filter, No Cat, 3" exhaust from Y-pipe back, MSD Super Coil, Accel 8mm wires, L98 Aluminum Heads, Ported and Polished Plenum, Siamesed Intake, Aluminum Driveshaft, Edelbrock 3 point Strut Tower Brace

 

Because the car might have to drag my *** to get my new car!

 

There are bleed valves on the fuel rail to relieve fuel pressure. The lines will drain once you pull the filter. Be prepared to catch the fuel in a small pan. I gotta say that because it would be irresponsible to just let it spill. But for all I know you might be cross-eyed and not be able to get the pan within 2-ft of the drop zone. Especailly on good warm days when things evaporate quickly. Anyway.... the job is about that simple. The only special input I have is to recommend you use a tubing wrench. It's easy to round off those wrench ends on the fuel lines. Definitely invest in some tube wrenches.

 

By the way... it's seriously hard on the fuel pump and injectors to run dry. That's why they put such a reserve in the fuel tank one FI cars because it makes it harder for morons to run out of gas.

 

I could not find the pump fuse in my block. Anyway I changed mine no problem, just a little bit o gas leaked out, no biggie. I was having fuel pump relay problems at the time so maybe thats why the pressure I was expecting wasnt there.

Don


^ New PMD Add

 

Yeah, the fuel acts as a coolant for the pump, but I never heard that it was hard on the injectors. BTW, my advice was straight out of the Chiltons guide. If its wrong, not my fault.

 

I wasn't saying you're a moron for draining the fuel lines by cranking the engine I was just saying with about a 2-gallon reserve below empty you gotta be a moron to run out of gas. But that's a joke too (kinda ) so nobody take that personal either!

 

Hey... I ran out of gas 3 times in my Firebird! Now, that isn't my fault... my Camaro holds 15.5 gallons and the Firebird only 13.7 or something... so that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!

 

So what's your excuse for the 2nd and 3rd time?

 

Force of habit!